Spaghetti Squash with Cheesy Marinara (Vegan)
Spaghetti Squash with Cheesy Marinara (Vegan) made all the members of my household drool. Seriously. I knew there would be skepticism at first sight, but mouth-watering, “MORE PLEASE!” hollers as soon as this was tasted and immediately scarfed down… annndd, I was right. The beauty of this meal, outside of the delish factor, is how incredibly easy and versatile it is. I made the adults spaghetti squash with shredded Miyokos vegan mozzarella, vegan meatballs (Trader Joe’s), and freshly chopped basil from my garden. I made my kiddo spaghetti squash with Quorn Chicken and parmesan cheese. The following day, I threw some left over olives I had from my Greek infused tofu scramble (recipe coming soon) in my bowl and my mouth melted just a teeny bit more. My point being, throw in whatever you’d like and it will still be awesome!
Many, many moons ago, my exe’s sister was in culinary school and taught us how to use spaghetti squash as pasta. I was hooked. As you all know, I’m a total f’in carb-whore, and my thighs really don’t appreciate that portion of my personality, so this discovery was pretty freakin’ fantastic to say the least. His sister also taught us a trick for cutting cilantro and parsley off the bunch. One day, when I actually have my YouTube channel that I’ve been talking about creating for over a year now, I’ll totally share that fabulous trick with you all. For the “one day…”
Anyway, enjoy the grub and the tunes! -FGG
Okay, so TOTALLY disappointing! My Yum Print Recipe card template isn’t working! Ugh… 🙁 I’ll post the recipe below without it. When I sort it out, I will revise this post with the recipe card.
30 minutes // Serves: 4-6
INGREDIENTS:
1 spaghetti squash
25 oz jar of garlic marinara (I used Cucina Antica)
2 C shredded vegan mozzarella (I used Miyokos or Follow Your Heart)
1/4 C fresh basil – chopped
Optional add-ons:
Vegan meatballs (I used Trader Joes)
Vegan chicken strips (try Gardein)
Vegan sausage (Gimme Lean OR Tofurky: Italian Sausage with Sun-Dried Tomatoes & Basil)
Olives
Capers
Artichoke hearts
Spinach
Fresh Parsley
DIRECTIONS:
Cut the spaghetti squash in half – length wise and place in a large pot with boiling water, face down, for 25 minutes on medium high
While the squash is cooking, shred your mozzarella and chop your basil. Prepare any other ingredients you are using as well
When the squash is through cooking, scrape out the seeds with a fork or spoon. Next scrape each half of the squash with a fork. You should be able to scrape all the way to the shell leaving no “meat” left in the squash shells
Place the scraped squash back in the pot on low, and add the sauce, basil, and cheese. Stir well until the squash is thoroughly covered in sauce and the cheese has begun to melt
Add any other ingredients you are using and stir again
Remove from heat and serve immediately
Done!
Wine Pairings:
Red – Montepulciano d’Abruzzo OR Pinot Noir
White – Pinot Grigio OR a crisp Sauvignon Blanc
Spaghetti Marinara with Chard & Burst Tomatoes
Spaghetti Marinara with Chard & Burst Tomatoes is loaded with veggies and incredibly healthy. I had left over vegetables in my fridge (as usual) that I didn’t want to go bad so I loaded what I had into this sauce and it was totally amazing! I am not a lover of anything bland so I am always guaranteeing a ton of flavor in my recipes! This one is no exception. I literally ate the entire pot of pasta in 2 days. Perhaps this is yet another reason why I am on a no carbs for the month of May (insert the saddest emoji ever right here) diet now. I’ve had a massive affair with carbohydrates over the past year and like most affairs, it’s completely blown up in my face, and then it trickled down to my thighs and some. Now that the weather is warm, I am missing my wardrobe, another thing that this “affair” took from me. Sigh, sigh, sigh… However, if you’re NOT reeling from a breakup with pastas and the like, than this is a fabulous Italian spaghetti dish that I highly recommend you eat… for me, if not for yourself. I can try and live vicariously I suppose. I’m gonna keep this short today, as I am short of time. Live, eat, (diet), be happy! 😉 XO
As per usual, my listening suggestion for you whilst you chef up this dope dish! MWAH!:
- 1 lb whole wheat spaghetti
- 24 oz jar of marinara sauce (I use Mezzetta)
- 2 Tbl olive oil
- 1 shallot - diced
- 3 cloves of garlic - diced
- 1 C cherry tomatoes
- 2 C chard
- 1 1/2 C sliced red and yellow (or just one or the other) sweet small peppers
- 3/4 C cannellini beans
- 1/2 C fresh basil - chopped
- 1 tsp fresh oregano - chopped (optional)
- 2 tsp red pepper flakes
- Salt & pepper to taste
- Nutritional yeast to taste for serving (optional)
- Start boiling the pasta (I like to cook it al dente)
- While pasta is cooking, heat a pan on medium with olive oil
- Add shallot and stir often for 3 minutes
- Add garlic and stir often for 2 minutes more
- Add tomatoes and a pinch of salt - stir occasionally and cook for 5 minutes
- Add beans, peppers, oregano, basil, salt & pepper - stir for approximately 3 more minutes
- Add marinara sauce, chard, red pepper flakes, plus any additional salt & pepper and stir for about 5 minutes more
- Pour sauce over pasta and serve with nutritional yeast (optional)
- White - Pinot Grigio or Verdicchio
- Red - Montepulciano d’Abruzzo or Chianti
Vegan Pumpkin Mac n’ Cheese
Vegan Pumpkin Mac n’ Cheese is creamy, easy, delicious, and healthy. You’ll fool all non-vegans for sure! I brought this to a friend’s Thanksgiving this past weekend and almost everyone said, “you’d have no idea there wasn’t any cheese in here.” Just another carb to add to your Thanksgiving day menu! This is a vegan game changer… no doubt.
A couple of my sibs are flying in for my vegan T-day. We have gluten-free, vegetarian, and vegan amongst us. I am making this Vegan Pumpkin Mac n’ Cheese (with gluten-free pasta), a vegan meatloaf, Tofurkey roast, stuffing with ‘sausage’ (homemade of course), mashed potatoes, mushroom gravy, spinach salad with candied pecans, and an apple pie & pumpkin cheesecake for Thanksgiving. I’m serving a vegan spinach and artichoke dip, some sort of hummus, and a vegan sour cream & onion dip for appetizers. They’ll be LOADS of wine and bubbly throughout the day and well into the evening. If any of us make it up the stairs for bed I will die in utter amazement! I’m carbin’ everyone the ‘f’ up and steering us into booze-ville. If we end the night with garage games I’ll be pleasantly surprised; though I won’t be holding my breath.
I didn’t anticipate shooting this pasta so these are all of the pics I have. I brought this Vegan Pumpkin Mac n’ Cheese, fresh flowers and herbs from my garden, and a bottle of pomegranate mimosas with pom seeds to my friend’s house. She hosted an awesome soiree and it was SO great to see her, as I’ve not seen her since I moved back to OR last year. Thanks for the hospitality, Bethany! 🙂
- 16 oz pasta (I used cellentani)
- 1/3 cup raw and unsalted cashews
- 1 small butternut squash - steamed and de-shelled
- 3 Tbl nutritional yeast
- 1/2 a 15 oz can of pumpkin puree
- 1 tsp of thyme
- 1 veggie broth cube (I used the equivalent with Better Than Bouillon Vegetable Broth)
- 1 small onion - diced
- 2 cloves of garlic - diced
- Oil for pan
- Boil water for pasta and cook when ready
- Heat a pan and cook onions for 3 minutes
- Add the garlic and cook for an additional 2 minutes ( like mine slightly browned)
- In a high powered blender (I use my Vitamix) add the onion/garlic mix and all other ingredients other than the pasta
- Blend until smooth
- Poor contents of the blender over the drained pasta and mix well (add water if needed)
- Done!
- Amazing dish for Thanksgiving! Also, I LOVE a good hot sauce on any mac n' cheese. If we are sympatico, go nuts!
- White wine: Chardonnay
- Red wine: Barbera
